Formula One 2019 Italian Grand Prix Odds & Picks

• After winning last weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc is a +135 favorite at the Italian Grand Prix
• The Ferrari driver is also pegged as a +250 co-favorite to produce this weekend’s fastest lap
• Lewis Hamilton closely trails Leclerc at +175 odds to claim his ninth victory of the season

Charles Leclerc gave Ferrari fans a much needed boost last weekend, powering to his first career Formula One victory at the Belgian Grand Prix. He now looks towards this weekend’s running of the Italian Grand Prix, perched as a +135 favorite.

Odds to Win 2019 Italian Grand Prix

*Odds taken 09/04/19

Leclerc Provides Ferrari with Long-Awaited Breakthrough

It has been a tough season for Leclerc and his Ferrari teammate, Sebastian Vettel. Prior to Leclerc’s breakthrough last weekend at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Ferrari had failed to take home a checkered flag since Vettel’s victory at last year’s Belgian Grand Prix.

With the duo combining to reach the podium on just 12 occasions, the Italian team has fallen well off the pace in the F1 team standings, where they lag behind Mercedes by 145 points.

Ferrari’s struggles have been largely attributed to technical shortcomings, including a catastrophic failure at Bahrain that cost Leclerc a sure victory, as well as continued problems with tires.

Ferrari’s struggles have been largely attributed to technical shortcomings, including a catastrophic failure at Bahrain that cost Leclerc a sure victory.

There was no sign of trouble for the youngster from Monte Carlo last weekend at Belgium, with Leclerc holding off a fierce challenge from Lewis Hamilton to claim the win after starting on the pole, while Vettel recorded the fastest lap for the second time this season.

Hamilton Has Dominated at Monza

However, Leclerc faces a huge task in his bid to record back-to-back victories over Hamilton, who closely trails as a +175 second-favorite, and teammate Vettel, who rounds out the front of the pack at +250.

Unlike Leclerc, who made his first Formula One appearance on the Autodromo Nazionale Monza last year, turning in an 11th-place performance, Hamilton enjoys a wealth of experience and steady success at the Italian Grand Prix.

Italian Grand Prix Recent Winners

The 34-year-old Englishman has taken home the checkered flag for Mercedes in five of his past seven appearances at Monza, capped by an impressive drive to victory from the No. 3 spot on the starting grid by a wide 8.705-second margin over second-place Kimi Raikkonen.

Indeed, Hamilton has finished outside of the top two just once over the past seven editions of this race, and sports short -400 odds of reaching the podium again this year.

Hamilton has also claimed the pole position at Monza in each of the past four years, and has also started four of this season’s 13 races on that pole. But with the focus on Leclerc going into the weekend, Mercedes has emerged as an attractive +225 wager to be the winning car in qualifying.

Lewis Hamilton has 5️⃣ poles in Monza and could claim a record 69th career pole position this weekend ?⏰

Qualifying Highlights at 5:30pm ? pic.twitter.com/EjWnzcZ69C

— Channel 4 F1® (@C4F1) September 1, 2017

Those odds are bolstered by the steady strong performance of Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas, who is coming off his 10th trip to the podium with a third-place finish at Belgium, and prepares for the Italian Grand Prix sporting lucrative +700 odds to claim his third race victory of the season.

Bottas also owns a solid track record at Monza, where he has finished top three in each of the past two years. The 30-year-old Finn has also recorded the fastest lap on two occasions this season, while also claiming the pole twice.

Verstappen Hampered by Red Bull Engine Change

Lost in the mix on the Italian Grand Prix odds is Red Bulls Racing’s Max Verstappen, who sits at a lengthy +2000 after enduring a disastrous race at Spa-Francorchamps, where he was forced to retire following a collision with Raikkonen on the first lap.

2019 Italian Grand Prix Fastest Lap Odds

Next to Hamilton, the 21-year-old had emerged as the steadiest driver in Formula One, finishing no worse than fifth in 21 straight races since last year’s Hungarian Grand Prix, and with recent victories at Austria and Germany sits 12 points up on Vettel for third place on the F1 Drivers Standings.

New Honda Spec 4 PU this weekend for Red Bull/Toro Rosso. This means that Verstappen and Gasly will recieved penalties and therfore start from the back of the grid in Monza.#ItalianGP #F1

— hotlapmode (@hotlapmode) September 4, 2019

With Red Bull taking on a new engine for this weekend’s race, Verstappen will be dumped down the grid, forced to start from the back of the pack. That takes a little bit of the shine of Verstappen’s short -800 odds to finish Sunday’s race in the top 10, but after turning in the fastest lap in three of the past five races, and a demonstrated willingness to push his ride to the limits, Verstappen sits as an intriguing +450 bet to record the fastest lap at Monza this weekend.

Picks:

• Hamilton to win Italian Grand Prix (+175)
• Mercedes to be qualifying winning car (+225)
• Max Verstappen to record fastest lap (+450)